A Lesson on Food from the Dog Whisperer

lessons from the dog whispererFrom time to time, it can be a tad lonely working at home, where I do almost all of my cooking, writing, and photography. I’m not much of a TV watcher, but sometimes I pop it on in the late afternoon for a little company. I’m absolutely bonkers over this show with Cesar Milan, better known as the “Dog Whisper“.

I’m a huge dog lover and would love to adopt a doggie of my very own some day – but I don’t watch the show for the dogs, even though they are just adorable. For me – Cesar steals the show because of his ability to train owners and therefore rehabilitate their dogs!

His gentle yet authoritative way of dealing with situations simply amazes me. I just adore the transformation of the relationship between owner or “pack leader” as he calls it and their pooches.

Eating Advice

In yesterday’s rerun episode, Cesar worked with Storm, a huge, silky newfoundland, whose owner cooked for him. Usually it’s the felines who are finicky, but this dog simply refused to eat – even the gourmet goodies his mommy made fresh!

One of questions Cesar asked stuck with me the rest of day.

“Do you feed him when he’s hungry or just when it’s time for the family to sit down to their own meals?”

Gosh, how many times as a teen have I eaten lunch or dinner when I haven’t been hungry, simply because it was “time to eat”. While I definitely support regular meals, some days it’s ok to delay a meal if you’re just not hungry. Learning to listen to your body – eating when you’re hungry, and sleeping when you’re tired – seems like a no-brainer, but with fast-paced lives ignoring our bodies has become common place.

So how did Cesar get Storm back on track? By teaching his owners that they need to feed him only when he’s hungry. By making him work for his food, adding a lot more exercise, fresh air, even regular walks on a treadmill, Ceasar stoked Storms appetite.

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